October 1
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus
Thursday, week 26 in Ordinary Time — Year II
St Thérèse of the Child Jesus, also known as St Thérèse of Lisieux or 'the Little Flower', is one of the most beloved saints in the Catholic Church. Born in France in the late 19th century, she entered the Carmelite convent at a young age and embraced a life of humble simplicity, focusing on what she called her 'little way' of spiritual childhood and trust in God's merciful love. Thérèse never traveled far, yet her autobiography, Story of a Soul, has inspired countless people worldwide with its message of confidence, spiritual poverty, and loving trust in God. The Church celebrates her memory because she shows that holiness is possible in the ordinary duties of daily life, provided they are done with great love. Declared a Doctor of the Church, Thérèse's teaching affirms the universal call to holiness: that anyone, no matter how small or insignificant in the world’s eyes, can become a saint through faith, prayer, and love.
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The liturgical day
Mass readings
ReadingJb 19, 21-27
Job said to those who reproached him:
“Have pity on me, have pity on me,
at least you, my friends,
because the hand of God has struck me.
Why do you pursue me like God himself?
Will you never be satisfied with my flesh?
Ah, if only my words were written down,
if they were engraved on a stele
with an iron chisel and lead,
if they were carved in rock forever!
But I know that my redeemer lives,
that, in the end, he will stand upon the dust;
and even if my skin is stripped away,
in my flesh I shall see God.
I myself shall see him,
my eyes will look upon him, and he will no longer be a stranger.
My heart faints within me.”
– The word of the Lord.
PsalmPs 26 (27), 7-8a, 8b.9abc, 13-14
Hear me, Lord, I am calling!
Have mercy! Answer me!
My heart has said your word to me:
“Seek my face.”
Your face, Lord, it is that I seek:
do not hide your face from me.
Do not turn your servant aside in anger:
you are still my help.
But I am sure I will see the goodness of the Lord
in the land of the living.
“Wait for the Lord, be strong and take courage;
wait for the Lord.”
GospelLc 10, 1-12
At that time,
among the disciples
the Lord appointed seventy-two others again,
and sent them out two by two ahead of him,
into every town and place where he himself was to go.
He said to them:
“The harvest is plentiful,
but the labourers are few.
So ask the master of the harvest
to send labourers into his harvest.
Go! See, I am sending you
like lambs among wolves.
Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals,
and greet no one on the road.
Whatever house you enter,
first say:
‘Peace to this house.’
If there is a friend of peace there,
your peace will rest on him;
if not, it will return to you.
Stay in that house,
eating and drinking what they provide,
for the worker deserves his wages.
Do not move from house to house.
In whatever town you enter
and they welcome you,
eat what is set before you.
Heal the sick who are there
and say to them:
‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
But in whatever town you enter
and they do not welcome you,
go out into its streets and say:
‘Even the dust of your town, that clings to our feet,
we wipe off to leave with you.
Yet know this:
the kingdom of God has come near.’
I tell you:
on that day,
Sodom will be treated less harshly than that town.”
– Let us acclaim the word of God.
Liturgical texts: © AELF — aelf.org